


Handsome

by MistressArafax



Series: Drabbles and Requests [5]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 03:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21190724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistressArafax/pseuds/MistressArafax
Summary: Joey just wants Kaiba to acknowledge him, but when he says some stuff in the heat of the moment, things between them change.





	Handsome

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Timmberry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Timmberry/gifts).

Joey didn’t particularly go out of his way to bother Kaiba. If anything, he avoided the dick as much as possible. Not that he was all that avoidable when they still went to the same high school and played in the same Duel Monsters tournaments.

It wasn’t even like Kaiba went out of his way to get under Joey’s skin anymore. Kaiba would rather pretend that he didn’t exist. All well and good, but that was probably what irritated Joey the most. If the prick would just say hi or nod or some shit like that, he’d move on with his life. But couldn’t stand the disrespect. It would be easier if he could, and part of him believed that if he treated Kaiba with the same kind of disinterest, Kaiba would get mad and at least pay a little attention to him, God dammit!

He couldn’t bring himself to do it though. He’d fought too hard for everything else, was too direct and too emotional to passive aggressive his way onto the “people Kaiba acknowledged” list.

So when Kaiba sat down at his desk right in front of Joey’s without a word, he couldn’t help how he bristled. Just once, Joey wanted him to nod hello. The thought consumed him for the entire day. Even as they changed classes and went to have lunch, Joey kept glancing at Kaiba in every one of their shared classes. It wasn’t every class, but it was a few of them. Joey told himself he was just looking for an opportunity to make Kaiba pay him at least the most basic of respect, but he knew that if it came to it, he wasn’t above picking a fight with Kaiba to get it.

He was glaring at the back of Kaiba’s head at the end of the day, and as the final bell rang to dismiss them for the day, Kaiba stood up to leave. Clearly having no intention to speak to Joey, he finally snapped.

“Why the hell ya been ignorin’ me, ya bastard?”

“Why would I ever pay any attention to you, mutt? You aren’t worth the brain space I’d waste.”

“Ya fuckin’...” Joey uttered as he lunged, unable to take Kaiba's arrogance anymore. “Ya goddamned prick!”

Kaiba stepped to the side, cracking the butt of his palm down on the nape of Joey's neck and knocking him to the floor. “Now you’re exactly where you belong. Groveling on the floor in front of me like the mutt you are.”

The words burned, angry and hollow, in his ears. He was back on his feet, seeing red and ready to rip Kaiba to shreds. He thought he was so good with his company and wealth. And his goddamned bright blue eyes and perfectly styled hair and sharp jawline and straight white teeth. Joey blinked, shaking away the intrusive, unbidden thoughts. They only made him more angry. The hell was he on about?

He swung at Kaiba again, only this time he was grabbed from behind and pulled backwards. He struggled to get out of the grip of whoever had a hold of him, but Kaiba was already walking away. Goddammit. “Ya think you’re so hot, huh, Kaiba, with your fuckin' handsome face? Ya ain't!"

The confrontation was over though, with Kaiba slinking away wordlessly and Joey locked in a hold courtesy of who he now realized was Tristan.

-

Despite having work to keep him occupied, Kaiba couldn't keep his thoughts from wandering back to his earlier exchange with Wheeler. Mostly, he was preoccupied with how Wheeler had called him handsome. Seething with rage, fists clenched, and he'd just...said it like a curse. But there was something in his tone that said he'd meant it. Kaiba didn't know what to do with that information. 

No one had called him handsome before. Pretty. Cute. Good-looking. All uttered from the mouths of girls and women who had obvious crushes on him. Sometimes they were said by grown men, derisively in an attempt to undermine and infantilize him. But Wheeler had said handsome out of frustration and anger. Not that Kaiba spent much time thinking about Wheeler; he wasn't a worthy opponent, but he was fun to antagonize at times. Wheeler thought them rivals, and Kaiba thought him a nuisance. And now he'd spent all evening thinking about the irritating blonde and what he could have meant during his angry outburst.

As he'd said it during a moment of anger, it had to be the truth. Wheeler truly thought he was handsome. The realization had a weird feeling stirring in his chest. He didn't know what it meant, and it made him uncomfortable. Wheeler was a nobody. He shouldn't have been pushing himself to the front of Kaiba's mind like this! And certainly not because Joey said something crazy in the middle of an argument.

His phone buzzed, calling his attention away from his thoughts. Mokuba wanted to get dinner with him, and he agreed solely because he wanted the distraction. He didn't want to think about the mutt anymore this evening.

Unfortunately for him, Mokuba's idea of dinner was going out to eat awful diner burgers with Yuugi and friends. Joey sat diagonally across from him, pointedly ignoring him, tension rolling off of him in waves. He looked like a bomb ready to explode. 

"What's your problem, mutt?" Kaiba asked.

"Nothin'," he shot back, not even bothering to look up.

Kaiba chose not to push him further. The only thing Kaiba wanted to ask him would be better asked in private, and he wasn't about to pull Wheeler away from the group to have it. So instead he feigned indifference, sipping at the coffee he'd ordered and scrolling through his phone. He didn't want to be here. He'd have rather been anywhere else, but like hell was he going to give the nerd herd something to talk about.

He still cast periodic glances Wheeler's way, though he wasn't sure why he cared. What had even started their argument earlier? Joey didn't want Kaiba ignoring him. So why would he ignore Kaiba now? Returning the favor perhaps? Kaiba wasn't sure, but he decided he'd separate out Wheeler as soon as possible and get to the bottom of this. For his own sake.

-

Joey hadn't been ready to face Kaiba the previous night. Not after slipping up and embarrassing himself. He wasn't really ready for today either, but as he walked into homeroom late, to Mrs. Park's incessant bitching, Kaiba was there, watching him walk to his desk. The whole way, Kaiba's piercing blue gaze followed him intently, to the point Joey was almost surprised Kaiba didn't turn around in his seat to watch him.

It was another day where he stared at Kaiba the whole day, but this time he was watching the brunet differently. His thoughts and words floated through his head. Kaiba's eyes were gorgeous. His hair perfectly styled. Joey liked his high cheekbones and thin, pouting lips. Joey did think Kaiba  _ was _ handsome, and that was a problem. The more he thought about it, the more obvious it became, and fuck, he couldn't like Kaiba. It was stupid and more trouble than it was worth in so many ways. Foremost of all being how his father would kill him for being gay. And Kaiba, in general, was always a huge pain in the ass, so going after him was the worst fucking idea ever.

The thoughts repeated in his head over and over. He didn't bother paying attention in any of his classes because there was just too much else to think about. Especially as he stared blankly at the back of Kaiba's head.

He kind of wanted to reach out and see if the strands of hair were as soft as they looked. He didn't, instead burying his face in his hands and groaning in frustration. This was stupid. Probably the most stupid thing he'd ever gotten caught up in, and he'd done some dumb shit. The final bell rang, and he finally managed to look up. Tristan was looking at him, worry clear on his face.

Kaiba stood abruptly and turned to look down at him, brusquely asking, "What's your problem, mutt?"

Joey glared up at him. "Stop callin' me that."

"Who's going to stop me?" Kaiba sneered.

"My fists if ya don't knock it off," Joey threatened, rising to the bait Kaiba was dangling in front of him. Wanting to fight Kaiba was a far more familiar and comfortable feeling than anything else he'd felt about Kaiba for the past 24 hours.

"Considering how well that worked out for you yesterday, I'd say you're just going to have to suck it up. Mutt."

God, he wanted to punch Kaiba in that pretty mouth. "Come on," Tristan interrupted. "That's enough from you two."

"It ain't. If Kaiba has somethin' to say to me, he better say it."

Kaiba smirked, but the expression was devoid of humor. "Let's go talk."

Warning alarms blared in his head. It sounded like a spectacularly bad idea to go off with Kaiba alone. Tristan expressed the exact same sentiment. "Don't do it, Joey. You'll just get yourself in trouble."

"I'll be fine," Joey said, not really believing himself but saying it convincingly enough that Tristan didn't protest as he walked away following behind Kaiba.

They wound through the hallways, trekking through the gym before walking outside. The cool air nipped at his exposed arms, and Joey wished he'd remembered to grab his jacket before walking out. Trying to stay warm, he crossed his arms over his chest, glaring up at Kaiba. "What do ya want, Kaiba?"

Kaiba's gaze hardened, appraising him critically. "Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?"

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "When you called me handsome. Did you mean it?"

Joey couldn't fight the flush that spread over his cheeks. "I was...in the moment. I didn't really think about it. It just kinda came out," Joey rushed to explain.

"Do you think I'm good-looking, Wheeler?"

He started panicking, and he thought about trying to punch Kaiba just to avoid answering the question. He tried to be as nonchalant as he could manage while answering, "Maybe. Ya ain't bad-lookin'."

Kaiba laughed, a rough bark of laughter that made him seem crazy. Joey stared up at him with wide eyes, surprised at the outburst. "You're a fucking trip, you know that, mutt?"

"You were watchin' me last night," Joey accused in return.

"I can do whatever I want."

Joey glared up at him, close enough to see his long brown lashes. Oh God damn it all straight to hell. "I'm tired of you, Kaiba. Always treatin' me like shit. You get so high and mighty with your company and wins and money, but ya ain't really all that different from me. Just luckier. And yes, you might have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen, but like...fuck you. You're the fuckin' worst."

Jounouchi shoved him, trying to push him away and get space before storming off. Kaiba grabbed his arm, preventing him from leaving, and Joey rounded back on him, ready to fight. Kaiba caught his attempted punch, and he couldn't help but marvelling at how soft Kaiba's hand was as it squeezed over his knuckles. "I'm going fucking insane," Joey muttered, closing his eyes and tearing his first from Kaiba's grasp.

"You already were," Kaiba added smugly.

That was it. He felt something inside of himself snap. "Ya know what, Kaiba? I'm done with this shit. Done with you. Don't mess with me anymore. I don't want anythin' to do with you or your bullshit or your pretty blue eyes or your fuckin' perfect face or--."

Joey stopped abruptly, realizing what he'd just said aloud to Kaiba. Wide-eyed, he tried to gauge Kaiba's reaction, which was more surprised than anything else. Something possessed him in that moment to make another stupid move. He grabbed Kaiba's arm and tugged him closer. The brunet stumbled over his own feet a bit, and then Joey pressed a kiss to his lips.

Kaiba let it all happen, eyes wide with shock. He didn't pull away, but he didn't reciprocate either. Embarrassed, Joey stepped away. "Sorry," he apologized. "I think that answers your question, right?" Joey sprinted off after that, totally mortified and not sure how he'd ever face Kaiba again. He was halfway home when he realized his phone was vibrating in his pocket.

It was a call from a number he didn't recognize. Warily, he answered. "Hello?"

"Wheeler." Shit, it was Kaiba.

Joey sighed and read a hand through his hair. "How'd ya get my number?"

"You're a registered duelist in KaibaCorp's database."

"Oh." As if he wasn't already feeling like enough of an idiot.

"You darted off before I could give you an appropriate response."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to kiss ya," Joey blurted out in apology. "I think I might like ya, but I'm not sure exactly, and I got caught up in the moment."

"Wheeler, shut up for five seconds," Kaiba commanded. Not wanting to push his luck, he did as instructed, pursing his lips closed and waiting for Kaiba to speak. Kaiba took a long time to say anything. Long enough that Joey pulled the phone from his ear to make sure the call was still connected. The number still showed on the screen, and he placed the phone back against his ear. He was about to ask Kaiba if he was still there when he heard Kaiba clear his throat. "I want to try it again."

"'Scuse me?" Joey asked, not quite sure he'd heard Kaiba correctly even though he definitely had.

Kaiba sighed heavily. "I would like to continue where we left off earlier." He hesitated for a moment, then added, "If that's okay with you."

A grin formed on Jounouchi's face at the unexpected turn of events. "Yeah," he agreed. "Yeah, let's see where this goes."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> KaiJou week free day! I decided to finish up a request /idea from my irl friend Timmberry! Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
